Fullmetal Alchemist: Odyssey Through Time
by Vermillion-Panda
Summary: Edward wakes up in the Aegean sea surrounded by warships en route to Troy. What comes next is an epic time-traveling tale with potentially devastating consequences. Vikings, Pirates, Samurai, who knows what will come next? I'll be relying on your input .
1. Chapter 1

Edward Elric awoke in a daze. It was hot. Or perhaps cold. He didn't know. What was the time? Not that, either. Where? Did it matter? Maybe. Yes, it was definitely cold. He opened his eyes. Dark, too. Was he floating? Perhaps he was. His mind was thinking the way a mind tends to think when on a mild hallucinogen. Slowly it began to take in details: a light from under him, darkness above him, a feeling of pressure on his whole body. A dark, rocky ceiling drifted into view a distance ahead of him. Reaching out his hand, he attempted to touch it. Before he could, a scaly object floated in front of his face: a … fish? His mind suddenly kicked into overdrive.

He was underwater.

All of a sudden he couldn't breathe. Then he realized he hadn't taken a breath since his drowsy awakening; a lack of oxygen was a possible conspirator in his sluggish behavior. Edward kicked to the murky rock, turned, and kicked off, going to the surface. His original legs, as his automail been by this point been replaced, helped him massively in his leaden struggle to the ether. It was a long ways away.

Reaching the air with a Herculean breath of air, he was utterly baffled by what he saw. He was surrounded by not only miles of sea on all sides, but of ancient-looking ships that he had read about in some of his father's books. Ships with sail and oar and metal points at the bow. These ships were filled with hundreds of thousands of men. He had never seen this many men: not in Central, nor at Briggs. Thinking clearly, he did the first thing that came to mind: yell, "Help!" A few men in the immediate ships saw this and pointed, shouting. He attempted to swim to the nearest ship. Despite the salt water, he was having a hard time staying afloat due to the fact that his body was almost entirely muscle.

"Come aboard," Said one young man, holding out his arm. Edward gladly took it. He heaved himself up to the deck with the help of the man and a long oar.

Glad to be on board and no longer in the sea, he wiped himself off, turned to the man who had just helped him. He sniffled. "You have my thanks," He offered his hand.

"Ah, it was nothing." Said the sailor, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

All of the men on the ship were looking at him. Edward looked around, mind racing. The sun was setting in the direction opposite of their course. It was the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. Somehow, it was different from the ones in Resembool or and of Amestris. Its grandeur was unrivaled even by the spectacular nightfalls at fort Briggs.

"I am Anastios, captain of this ship. What is your name? You look a lot different from the other." The other man spoke, bringing his attention back.

"I am Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. And the…other?"

"You are like him? He claimed to be that same thing. I will take you to see him." He led Edward to the other end of the ship and below the deck onto the smoky, dark deck where slaves rowed. "A rather sadistic fellow, he is. He seems to get pleasure from hearing suffering."

All that Edward needed to see was a white suit.

"Ah, well if it isn't the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Said the man, stepping forward out of the shadows.

"It has. And I can't say that I'm thrilled to see you again, Kimblee."

Kimblee! That bastard got out of Pride's inner maelstrom?

"I'm offended. We always had such a great time. And here there are no Alchemists to stop my oppression of this race. A new, clean state to take the powers of Truth for myself."

Edward moved into a defensive position and clenched his fists. Kimblee began to laugh.

"It's only a joke. You have no sense of humor,"

Meanwhile, Anastios was standing to their side, uncomfortably. Ed turned and asked where they were. "We are crossing the Aegean Sea to continue our besiegement of Troy. It is almost finished and I've heard that Odysseus has come up with a plan to finally end it. It has been ten years, you know."

"What the hell? Are we in… ancient Greece?" Edward was completely taken aback.

"It is not ancient! Today is today!"

"You heard him." Kimblee retreated to the shadows. He back against a wall and brought his fedora down over his face, grinning.

Edward experienced intense obfuscation at this. It infuriated him to see that Kimblee understood exactly what was happening.

"Yes! Why did we fish you out from the sea? How did you come here and where are you from?" He asked, brow furled.

"I… we are from… a different place… almost 3000 years in the future."

* * *

"What? Are you serious? How did you come to be here, then?" Asked Anastios, beginning to grow angry.

"Hell if I know! I just woke up and now I'm talking to one of my worst enemies and on the way to Greece!"

"Now how does someone as little as you have a worst enemy at all!"

At this, Edward started to beat the shit out of the Greek.

Men came to restrain him. They tied him to the mast above decks.

"Don't call me short!" he screamed.

When he finally calmed down, Anastios served Edward his revenge. Kicking, hitting. After getting Edward bloodied and bruised, he let up. "Have you learned your lesson?" Anastios asked.

"Lesson? You should learn your lesson. Not to call me short!"

"Hm."

There was a slight pause.

"I guess that I should take you outsiders to Achilles."

The name clicked in Edward's mind. A few minutes passed in silence.

"On the topic of your collective origins, then?" Anastios asked.

"Hmph. Well, you could say we're outsiders. We are from a place to the north called Amestris."

"I have never heard of that place."

"It probably hasn't been founded yet. Have you heard of Xerxes?"

"That name does sound familiar to me."

"Most likely still a small town in the desert to the east. That is where my father is from. Anyway, in our country, we have a science, an art you might call it, called alchemy. Alchemy is used in many different ways, and sometimes for military purposes."

"Are you a soldier?"

"That's a long story." Edward laughed. "You see, alchemy is the science of taking apart and reconstructing things. There is a law called equivalent exchange, that means if you want something, another thing of equal value must be taken."

"You lost me."

"When we get to land, I'll show you."

* * *

They sailed into the morning before seeing land. Halfway through the night, Ed got seasick but had gotten used to it before they landed. A massive army had already fortified the shore to a ridiculous extent. On a cliff near the ocean, a tent stood where all activity seemed focused around three very tall men and a woman. As they disembarked on shore, the three, flanked by platoons, came to meet Edward and Kimblee. From the other ships appeared Alphonse, Alex Armstrong, Roy and Riza Mustang, Izumi and Sig Curtis, May Chang, and Ling Yao. The sight of Ling reminded him of Greed. How he missed Greed, the defiant Homunculus who had assisted them in their battle against Father.

But back to business.

"Alphonse! Where the hell have you been?" Ed ran to his slightly taller (originally-bodied) brother. They embraced.

"Brother!" He said in his rather prepubescent voice. It had been long since they had seen each other. Alphonse had gone off to Xing to study Alkahestry with Ling and May. He was only about fifteen still, Edward remembered. His hair had grown long, and he wore it down, contrary to Edward's ponytail. Edward realized that they were both wearing red robes. Lame. Oh, but Al's were embroidered with Xingese letters and made of silk. Of course.

"Edward, it has been a long time." The massive pink hulk Armstrong bent over to shake his hand. He was dressed in his bright blue military uniform, although it was slightly dank. Edward noted that he had been promoted-he was now a full-fledged general. Most likely head of central command. If Mustang died, Ed suspected Alex to be first in line for the throne.

He walked over to Mustang.

"How is the Führer?"

"Hello, Fullmetal," Mustang said in a rather conceited tone.

Ed had heard that Mustang had been a great Führer so far. He'd made peace with Drachma, Creta, and Ishval. Plus, he'd started trade routes with Xing and both countries were benefiting hugely from them. The peaceful relations between surrounding nations had increased friendliness so much as to allow for open borders with all countries. This strengthened the economy, military, and nationalism amongst citizens.

Edward turned to Ling.

"Edward!" He ran and they squeezed each other tightly.

"I haven't seen you in forever! How've you been?" Edward said.

"I am the emperor of Xing now! I've brought prosperity to Xing."

"Wow, Ling!" That crazy man. Taking the throne to the most powerful country in the east. Edward wondered how his newly founded dynasty was going. Pretty well, it must be, for Ling's words in Amestris had convinced him that he was a worthy leader.

_"A king exists for his people, without subjects rulers can not exist."_

* * *

After a while of hellos and how are you's, it was revealed who the men and woman were. Achilles, Odysseus, Major Miles, and General Armstrong approached. Of course Armstrong had gotten in with Achilles. He seemed, in all his massive might, to be… afraid of her. They all did. Scratch that, everyone did. Scary woman.

They all made introductions, Armstrong saying some particularly optimistic remarks about Edward and Alphonse's fighting abilities, surely the highest compliment she could give: "Good soldiers."

Achilles' demeanor seemed to shrink at being afraid of Armstrong, but was nevertheless highly intimidating. Alex and Sig Curtis were particularly fond of him, as could be guessed. Handshakes all around.

Soon after the festivities, they all quieted as Achilles began to speak in his nearly infrasonic voice. "Tonight! We surrender."

Uproar.

"We will send a gift to the Trojans,"

Mayhem.

"As an offering of peace."

Utter pandemonium.

"Fear not, my brave men!"

Instant, complete silence, save for the clanking of armor.

"We have fought for a very long time, too long, for this to be the end. We will send in soldiers inside the horse. They will wait until midnight inside. Exactly then, they will exit the horse and set it afire, then wreak havoc." He began a crescendo as his words build in intensity. "We will enter at this signal. When we do begin our siege, you have my permission to go insane. Rape, kill, and burn as much as you want." Now yelling. "We will disgrace these god(s)forsaken lands!"

Much revelry all around.

* * *

"You call it alchemy?" Achilles asked.

"Yes. We take things apart and rebuild them, to put it simply." Edward said, after realizing that he could somehow do alchemy in this place.

"Interesting."

Edward wanted to show off, so he took apart the recently completed, soon legendary Trojan horse and turned it into a huge statue of himself. Achilles was infuriated. He realized how bad an idea it was to get this man angry, the most fabled warrior of all time, so he changed it back quickly.

* * *

The time for the final battle was soon; the Achilleans had already begun their "retreat." Troy, still weary, began a nervous celebration.

Edward, after showing Achilles and Odysseus his special ability, had obfuscated the entire plan: the men were quite greedy, and wished to ride to glory showing Troy the overwhelming military might of the Greek. Whilst the horse plan would get the job done, it just wasn't as glorious and stupendous as making a cannon of the front gate and using it to fire upon Troy itself. Edward had originally agreed to help the Greek who had been so gracious to him, but on learning their intensions and reasons of battle from an undistinguished fighter in a phalanx, he doubted whether it was worth it to fight for these men. To kill all of the innocents in Troy.

He'd been through something similar before, after all.

* * *

**Author's Note: howdy, y'all. I'm geoff. call me master. I'm only kidding. This is my first story on here. Go easy on me. Just to let you know, this doesn't show much of my sense of humor... more on that later. Its a pretty dark/offensive sense of humor. So yeah. I'm rating it M for later (im)maturity. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo. I'm pretty slow... This is like the fastest I've ever written. Anyway, I hope this gives you a little more of a clue as to how this is all possible.**

**Chapter 2 (Ling)**

As night fell and Trojan revelry commenced, Ling saw Edward convinced that they should desert the Achilleans. Ships were being loaded and men began to sail away. He was one of those selected to hide in the horse, along with Kimblee, Alex Armstrong, Mustang, and Ed. A theoretical alchemic dream-team. Edward attempted to talk to the kind-of sane (everyone but Kimblee), but they were all for the free-for-all psychosis of battle. Sure, Ling felt guilty-who wouldn't?-but this was a change to vent all his frustrations as the emperor of Xing. It seemed the others on the team held similarly strenuous positions: Mustang, Führer; Alex, Head Alchemist and General of the entire military; but Edward seemed… unstressed. He lived a quiet farm life with that Winry girl he seemed so fond of. Perhaps that was why he was so hesitant to raise hell with the rest. They all realized that Edward was the most powerful of all of them with his powers restored, but he also had the most fragile heart. He was easily swayed by others. Despite all his tough-as-nails aesthetics he was a big softy. Ling had always had the ability to tell these things.

Was this right? Probably not. Should they go on a rampage? Again, it wasn't the right thing to do. What would be the effects on the space-time continuum? That was a harder question to answer.

Continuum. Ling remembered where he had heard that word first. He was but a young boy exploring the forests, skipping his tutor's mind-numbing lessons with his friend Shijian. Shijian was a tall boy with an extraordinarily long neck, bright red hair and a bad temper. Ling suspected that he was a genius, though he never showed it. They came upon a monastery deep in the forests, in the foothills of the Impassible Mountains, one day. There was a nice man on a walk who found the two covered in mud. He took them to the Monastery where he told them he contemplated the Space-time continuum. They had never heard of such a thing, and this was a more appealing lesson than that senile tutor. He took a stick and began to draw on some soft dirt.

"We perceive time to move this way," he said, drawing a straight line with a wobbly, ancient hand. "but in reality it moves in this way." he drew the circle. "So for time travel to be possible, what must be done is to go from one point," he made one point on the circle. "and move to another." Taking the point, he drew a straight line across the circle. "That is how time works."

The two boys were dumbfounded by this new information.

"So is time travel possible?" Shijian asked.

"But of course! It's just that no one has figured it out yet. I suppose with enough knowledge of Alkahestry and the type they use to the west and one I've heard they use to the very south of the Southern Ocean in the Ice-lands you can achieve it."

"What would happen if you were to go back in time and change…something?"

"You couldn't even if you did change something, time would find a way to keep its course. There is nothing you can do against that."

Ling remembered how this idea had dominated Shijian's life. After a few years of intense Alkahesteric research and puzzling notes and mapping. Ling went to Shijian's house one day and to his surprise, found it filled with maps and oceanic charts.

"What the hell is all this?" Ling asked.

"I'm going away."

"Why?"

"My research!"

"Research?"

"I want to know more about the Alkahestry to the south."

"You and I both know that is a lie. And even if you did go there, the southern oceans are unnavigable!" Ling said.

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Shijian rose and ran at Ling. Lan Fan and Fu stepped in front of the raging teenager and Fu twisted his arm, nearly breaking it. Shijian yelped in agony.

"Why are you doing this, Shijian?" Ling leaned over him, speaking loudly.

"I am unlocking the secrets of time! My inner genius will be revealed!"

"No it won't! It is impossible! We know this!"

"Fuck you! I'm leaving whether you like it or not!" Shijian turned, ran, and leaped out the window of his cramped apartment.

That was the last Ling had ever seen of his childhood friend.

Back to the present. It seemed that no matter what he did here, he wouldn't disrupt the circle of time. This could be a good way to release his anger.

Olivier was yelling at some poor Achillean soul to "get in the damn horse before…" He stopped listening. It seemed time, then, to get in the wooden horse. Maybe Edward Elric would not go with them. Perhaps they would take Miles instead, or Olivier. She would probably kill everyone by giving them her death stare. If any look could kill, it'd be hers. He climbed the ladder. About thirty other Achilleans besides the Alchemists were aboard as well. Despite its monstrous size, the horse was quite cramped. He was in between two gorillas that ostracized him for his eyes. Oh well.

Once Edward came on board, they set off. Ten men on the ground inched them forward. After about an hour of this, they were safely inside the walls. Stupid Trojans didn't suspect a thing. Well, he couldn't call them stupid, after making such a massive fortress. Wasted Trojans didn't suspect a thing. That was more accurate.

The festivities went on through the night. When it finally died down a bit, Achilles made a move and jumped out of the horse, before motioning for the others to follow. When everyone was out, they set the horse afire. Then he instructed for Edward and Alex Armstrong to open the gates. The rest were to do whatever the hell they damn well pleased. And so they did.

Ling ran through the defenseless streets with twin blades out. This was insane, but he felt like Bradley.

And was savoring the feeling.

Everything, slain. Fire, death, pandemonium. He didn't have the heart to kill the woman and child he came upon in a dead end street. The look in her eyes, the way she looked into his soul it felt, was the most terrible thing he had ever seen. Nothing compared. He ran. He absconded in a hurry up the wall behind the two. He jumped from roof to roof, keeping from the more fiery rooftops.

The entire army had arrived and more were doing so in droves. It was complete mayhem. He stopped at the top of a tower and was presented with a panoramic view of that chthonic sprawl that lay before him in all directions. Fire. Death. Anarchy. He jumped from the tower as it fell. To the infernal world below.

He went into the first house on his right. A lone man was waiting inside. He was a spitting image of Fu, but wearing Greek robes. Ling put one sword away.

"Hello, old man."

The man came forward and their swords met. Sparks flew off their swords as they met countless times, attacking and parrying as masters of their respective weapons.

They fought for a long while, attacking one another, gradually moving upstairs.

The man pinned Ling on a wall, but was thrown back with a ferocious kick. Ling heard splintering.

"You have honor, old man. And my respect. But that is not enough to live through the night, let alone defeat me."

"I don't want your respect." The man was tiring but spoke belligerently. He reminded Ling so much of Fu that he began to lose his control.

_I'm back!_

Ling became engulfed by a black, malevolent force. He was ushered from this humble home to a silent black. A familiar voice spoke. Ling's body suddenly became ten times stronger and he sliced the man's chest open. He turned to walk out, but looked back for a moment, witness to the man's final breaths. A murderous smile flashed across his lips.

"Sorry, but I want that, too."

**If anyone can coherently explain quantum theory to me, I'll add something on that in here.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Excuse my dark mind. I'm not actually this messed up, I'm just writing what I think he'd say.**

Chapter 3 (Kimblee)

How I love pain.

Making others suffer.

Beauty is in death, after all. For without dissonance, there can be no beauty.

My actions are justified. The Greek's reasons for war are just following the law of Equivalent Exchange. They are getting what they deserve: death. For kidnapping the king's princess, the fairest woman in the world. They indeed deserve nothing less.

And truly, nothing is more gratifying than the rush of death. Dying, killing, even watching death make its grasp; it is perfect. Divine.

And second, nothing is truly more absolute than Death. Not life, though that can be argued. Not God, nor Hell.

Not even the passage of time. As we have seen, it has been breached, by some unfamiliar force. Perhaps the mysterious arts practiced on the Bottom of the world.

We know that Alchemy gets its power from the tectonic plates that compose the Earth's crust. These plates constantly grind back and forth past one another. When they get stuck, pressure builds up and is eventually released in the form of an earthquake: beautiful, brutal waves in rock that wipe the earth of human achievement. There is enormous power in these plates, power which remains untapped to its full potential. It is also bound by reality.

We also know that Xingese Alkahestry derives its power from what they call the _Dragon's Pulse, _a concept in which life-energy that flows through the Earth and everything. It is mainly used for medicinal purposes (increasing the life flow of the Earth through a singular human being), but is not limited to such purposes. It is difficult to convert for warfare, though. I believe that Scar's brother found a proper balance between the two known sciences. Too bad I killed him.

My theory is that the Sciences at the Bottom of the World take their power from _below _the crust. We as humans rarely are exposed to this but through the awesome force of volcanoes. They, I believe, are the Earth's cooling mechanisms. The energy they hold is infinitely greater than the tectonic plates. They possess the ability to _melt rock._

That is why the third and final of the Metaphysical Science is the most powerful of all of them. It is a power incomprehensible.

For it has the ability to bend time and space.

* * *

I was walking through the streets, reminiscing Ishval. This was to a greater extent, though. It is… rapture. I am lifted from my mortal body and mind, my soul detached when I kill. This is my home, where I belong. I am a killer, nothing more. My soul purpose is to end others, I have decided.

And this was the best time I've ever had doing it.

I was not born a killer, mind you. I was born on a plantation, a long time ago. The plantation was in the very south of Amestris, where the great forests dominate and dirt paths meander through the mountains. Truly a beautiful country. When I finally die, I wish for my body to be buried there. I was taught my manners and my prayers from my parents, and was taught to respect our slaves but punish them if they did wrong. I would go and play on the cotton terraces in the mountains surrounding our manor after my daily lessons. Sundays we would go to church on the plantation.

I was an avid learner. Quick to proficiency, I've been told. Eventually my love for parents and respect for slaves transformed. I was disdainful of authority, religion. Soon, my beliefs were mainly nihilistic. I spent time alone, contemplating in the jungles. Occasionally, I would experiment on animals. The thrill of science. Seeing how much force should be exerted to rip a cat in two or better yet, how long must a bird starve before it dies.

This wicked thirst led me to the dank corners of vast wine cellars, where I discovered books about a mysterious new science that I hadn't heard of before: alchemy.

This book that I discovered led to a new, black world of discovery. Nearly infinite paths to make, now.

I was very quiet about nihil, alchemy, and potential insanity with my parents.

I left the house for university a few years later. Halfway through my third year, I decided to join the military as a State Alchemist. And the story from there is old news.

* * *

As I walked through the burning slums, I occasionally saw someone who I pitied, so I had to put them out of their misery before they could suffer any longer. To some people who prayed I would doff my hat and applaud their futile but stubborn attempts to prolong their life. It was laughable, so I would blow the book or tablet or whatever they were praying with to hell. I would laugh maniacally and walk away. It was a long while of this, along with crushing families with buildings, detonating containers of hot oil, the like.

I came across Ling jumping out of a crumbling building's second-story window. He was covered in blood and had a cut on his left arm.

"Kimblee." His voice was lower, more gruff.

I tipped my hat. "Greed."

It wasn't really a surprise that he was back. While Dwarf in the Flask-Father-had created Greed from his body, his soul was still its own entity, too weak to fuse with a body of its own. So when Greed had gone back to Father, he wasn't completely destroyed. A small part of his soul remained within Ling, whose subconscious was no longer a swirling turmoil as his Philosopher's Stone had been taken out. In the time it had been since Father's passing, Greed's original "body" had remained within Ling's, gathering strength. In Ling's weak mental state after all the stresses of being the emperor of Xing, coupled with his lack of thought due to the mindless destruction occurring, Greed was able to take over.

He took off in maniacal laughter. In a moment he was gone. So I went back to my hobby. And thought no more of him for the rest of the night.


End file.
